


all the fish down in okinawa

by meowy_times



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aobajousai, Aquariums, Argentina National Team, Character Study, Gen, Kitagawa Daiichi, Post-Haikyuu!! Chapter 402: Final Chapter: Challengers, oikawa is a fish and a king, oikawa study, yes a fish :D
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:13:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28331418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meowy_times/pseuds/meowy_times
Summary: Oikawa Tooru becomes the man amongst monsters.aka. my shot at character analysis
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime & Oikawa Tooru, Kageyama Tobio & Oikawa Tooru, Oikawa Tooru & Everyone
Comments: 8
Kudos: 43





	all the fish down in okinawa

**Author's Note:**

> tw// minor anxiety, panic attacks
> 
> ...yes this is oikawa we’re talking about, no i don’t know what to put in the summary

When Kageyama Tobio walks through the gym doors on the first day of his third year, Oikawa can almost feel his middle school career ending. The raven haired boy walks through the doors with the air of a prince: in the shadow of a king, humble but arrogant, his shoulders set high. His eyes burn with a sick hope that his older brother will die. …Or maybe Oikawa is imagining it.

Either way, Oikawa supposes that he is the older brother, and the current king.

Oikawa knew then, that he would have to fight for his position as their main setter now. Kageyama Tobio is scary, not because he is wild or unpredictable, but because he is so _extraordinary._ Oikawa can tell the boy has practiced a hundred million times to make a toss so smooth and silent. Like gears of a machine. He is young and pure, and there are things Oikawa could teach him, but he doesn’t _want_ to. Kageyama doesn’t need his help yet. So Oikawa finds himself competing against the prince unintentionally, something pushing him to just...

Be better. 

Despite his drive, Oikawa Tooru finds himself feeling infinitely worse about everything. His receives feel too slow and he stays late behind everyone else to practice them. The wall becomes his best friend, bouncing the ball back to him and being a support when he becomes too tired to stand. In hindsight, perhaps it was a bad thing if he was too tired to stand. One night, when Iwaizumi has left him to his own devices, he slumps back against the far wall and waits. For what, he doesn’t know. Between laboured breaths and feeling his heart beat angrily against his throat, he wishes it were easier. If his sets could always deliver, if his receives always worked out, it wouldn’t be so hard. 

+

In third grade, Oikawa’s class goes to Okinawa. It’s an expensive trip, but both Oikawa and Iwaizumi can afford it. On the first morning of three, everyone is tired from flight and while Iwaizumi falls asleep, Oikawa is too excited to. He sits and leans against the window, letting Iwaizumi sleep on his shoulder. He looks away, out the window, watching as large concrete fields flash past his eyes. Hair tickles his cheek and Oikawa tries not to let this bother him. The tour guide stands in the aisle of the bus and presents for the maybe five kids listening. She talks with an accent. Oikawa is only half listening, the exhaustion threatening to take over. 

“And to the left, we have America. On the right, America. Only these roads belong to Japan.” 

The tour guide talks about war and Oikawa learns that the things surrounding them are U.S. military bases. For a brief time, she talks about herself, Taiwanese but fluent in Japanese, having lived in Okinawa for ten years. Oikawa thinks maybe that’s why she doesn’t seem so bitter. She talks about how the American soldiers still like to see the island and she laughs. When they get to the hotel she smiles and tells everyone, though Oikawa thinks that he’s the only one still awake besides the teacher, that she’s off for the night. 

Oikawa and Iwaizumi are assigned a room with two other boys. Oikawa boldly takes the key from the teacher and drags a sleepy Iwaizumi into an elevator up to the second floor. In the hotel room, there are only two beds and Iwaizumi promptly flops onto one and falls asleep. Oikawa rolls his eyes and finds their luggage to set out toothbrushes and brush his teeth. When he’s done, he crawls under the covers with Iwaizumi and stares at the ceiling, still unable to sleep. One of the other boys had taken the liberty of turning off the lights so all Oikawa can hear is the light snores of Iwaizumi and the buzzing heater system. 

+

Oikawa doesn’t know when it started; the slight strain in his knee that only makes itself apparent in the worse times. It does hurt a little, he admits, but not enough to make him stop. Because everyday, Oikawa watches Kageyama grow better, and it is a better Oikawa cannot achieve. His sets require some sort of superhuman ability that is just impossible. Oikawa is almost convinced he is not human. Of course, when he brings up the idea that Kageyama Tobio may be extraterrestrial life to Iwaizumi, Iwaizumi rolls his eyes and tells him to stop obsessing over it. 

Oikawa tries, he tries to stop watching Kageyama and analyzing every detail. Kageyama’s form is perfect, despite being only twelve. Oikawa is sure that his own form is nowhere near as good as Kageyama’s. So Oikawa bites his tongue and hits his serves harder. Serves are something that, at the moment, Kageyama hasn’t mastered yet, so they’re something special to Oikawa. 

In the late evening after everyone has left, Oikawa finds the quiet nice. Volleyball practice is often loud, with teammates yelling at each other and balls falling to the ground like aimed meteorites. Cold creeps its way into the almost empty gym and bites Oikawa. He shivers and wonders if he should stop for today. When he’s alone, the only sounds are those of his own. His knee twinges but he ignores it. The ball trajectory is off and it hits to the center instead of the side. He’s tired. A quiet voice in the back of his head whispers that Kageyama wouldn’t be tired, Kageyama wouldn’t stop, Kageyama wouldn’t- 

Oikawa falters. He hates this, really. He hates driving himself to the ground, to the point where everyone is worried about him. The sharp smell of nail polish and alcohol hits his nose. It makes him want to throw up. When was the last time he was near nail polish? He hates this. He wants to get better, but he just _doesn’t know how._ His face is wet, not with tears, but sweat, and Oikawa lets his knee buckle. He falls to the ground and lays there, not wanting to get up. He only lays for a few seconds before deciding it’s been too long, because time is something precious that Oikawa doesn’t want to lose. 

+

On the second day, Oikawa’s class goes to the famous Churaumi Aquarium. Oikawa, less interested in fish than Iwaizumi, drags his feet. They eat soggy bad cereal from the hotel’s buffet. Oikawa sticks his tongue out in disgust at his light brown milk. It’s only that color because Oikawa ate cocoa puffs, so it’s chocolate milk without the flavor. A girl sitting across from him laughs while Iwaizumi glares. 

“Don’t be picky Dummykawa.”

“I’m not pickyyy,” he whines, causing the girl to giggle more, “What did _you_ eat Iwa-chan?” Iwaizumi’s bowl of milk is slightly pink in places and slightly orange in others. Next to it is a half eaten blueberry yogurt. 

“Fruit Loops or whatever,” Iwaizumi grumbles. He spoons another mouthful of pink milk and swallows. Oikawa wrinkles his nose in disgust and stands up to refill his cocoa puffs. 

The tour guide talks excitedly about whales today, but it’s too early for Oikawa to care. Iwaizumi, on the other hand, is practically bouncing in his seat. “Not actually a whale,” he tells Oikawa about the whale shark. In Oikawa’s opinion, the animal shouldn’t be named in such a contradictory way. Whales are mammals that breathe air. Sharks are large predatory fish. “Well, whales are huge, and the whale sharks are the hugest of all the sharks,” Iwaizumi reasons with him. Oikawa also learns that the whale shark is also known as the tofu shark; something about its taste and texture. 

When they arrive, Iwaizumi pulls Oikawa out of his seat and points. It’s impressive. The front of the building is white and sandy. The large whale shark statue sits in the center of a half circle of buildings. It looms over them, raised by a pole, the bright blue sides shining in the sun. 

+

“Oikawa-san, shouldn’t you take a break?” 

Kageyama Tobio is right, he should. They’re supposed to be drinking water and sitting down. Instead Oikawa makes a face and teases. Kageyama wouldn’t understand, the feeling of ‘not enough’ and ‘ordinary’ must not occur to him. Oikawa doesn’t understand Kageyama, and frankly he doesn’t like not understanding. Oikawa understands Kindaichi’s frustration at not hitting a spike and adjusts himself for it. He understands Kunimi’s methods and works them into their team strategy. Kunimi always gives the best A-passes. Kageyama could be a spiker, it’d be such an easy adjustment that it makes Oikawa jealous. Why does Kageyama have to be a setter? Why does he have to threaten Oikawa’s final year in middle school? 

Oikawa takes a deep breath and holds the yellow and blue ball in front of him. He feels his shoulder and ignores Kageyama’s noise of disapproval, running up and jumping. Oikawa knows Iwaizumi is watching, knows that if he really was working too hard Iwaizumi would tell him. He doesn’t need Kageyama Tobio. 

“Oikawa-san… you’re overworking yourself.” Kageyama’s unsure voice filters through his concentration and breaks it. He hits the ball at the wrong time and it falls unevenly to the ground. Oikawa’s vision blurs and his head spins. It’s painful and no matter how much he physically hurts now, he doesn’t want to cry in front of his kouhai. Now is not the time.

Vines grow on the back of Oikawa’s house around the end of the year. They’re long and tall, reaching all the way up to his room. If this were a fairytale, maybe he would be saved, by a knight in shining armor, from all these things in his head. They tell him he will never be enough, and this is no longer just about Kageyama Tobio, but everything. He is only ordinary. 

He doesn’t tell Iwaizumi these things, but he suspects that Iwaizumi knows. The glares at practice aren’t usual.

He cries alone in the dark. The ugly feeling of weights lifting, but chains tightening is not a nice one. His knee hurts. He wants to scream but the vines grow up his legs and around his mouth to stop him. 

+

Oikawa still isn’t sold on the whole aquarium idea and Iwaizumi’s enthusiasm isn’t rubbing off on him in any way. The ground is officially more interesting than all the fish around him. It’s sort of pretty Oikawa decides. Reflections from the water around him dance on the tile. Oikawa slows down to watch them. The tile itself is a pale blue and the perfect canvas for rainbows to dance on.

So Oikawa doesn’t realize he’s lost until he looks up, only ten minutes later, and only sees strangers. Still near the entrance, people walk through the gates, chattering amongst themselves. Oikawa’s head does a swivel and the first thing he sees is the dark water of the otter exhibit. Oikawa watches them play with a large rubber ball. Then, an otter is in front of him. She smiles and places her paws up against the glass, squeaking at him. Oikawa cautiously puts his own hands on the glass. The otter tilts her head and Oikawa mirrors it. When the otter swims away, he can’t help but feel a little abandoned. 

+

It’s just one game. Just one set. Not even that. For all Oikawa knows, he could be put back in by the next serve. Something clicks and tells him that this is the end. For the first time, Kageyama Tobio plays in an official game, and it is only because of his failures. Oikawa has to watch Kageyama deliver what he couldn’t. If they lose this game, Oikawa knows he will unintentionally say he blames Kageyama, though he knows it was his own shortcomings that have brought them here. 

Stress makes Oikawa quiet. It stops him from shouting for the ball and calling spiker’s names. When Oikawa is stressed, he inevitably sets to Iwaizumi, because he finds that he never needs to talk. Iwaizumi understands. 

They win. Kageyama Tobio plays all the way to the end of the game and Oikawa can already hear the rumors. Bystanders in the bleachers whisper about Kitagawa Daiichi’s first year setter. A secret weapon, the key to victory: Kitagawa is going to go far this year. Oikawa tells himself that the whispers mean nothing, that Kageyama has only grabbed attention because he is something new. Even when, in Oikawa’s first game, they lost and the whispers were very different.

Oikawa walks back from the bench quietly. His shoulders slump forward more as they bow. Even as the gym fills with praise and song, Oikawa can’t help but feel a little defeated.

+

Being lost is not a nice feeling. Eight year-old Oikawa curls up against the otter exhibit and waits. People don’t see him in the dark. Oikawa believes that someone will see him. He believes someone will find a scared boy and ask “Where are your parents?” Oikawa will answer “They’re not here” and explain how he’s on a school trip, if he could get his vocal cords to work. 

Still terrified, Oikawa stands up. He can’t stay here. His movements are slow and almost mechanical, like if he moves wrong, his world will crash and burn. There are people everywhere, at least one of them has to be nice enough to help him. Oikawa moves quietly, still unwilling to speak, eyes glancing back and forth, picking between strangers. That man looks too scary. That lady is busy with a baby. Those aren’t his classmates.

Panic sets in like a blanket that wraps around Oikawa and stops him from asking for help. It’s silent and almost unnoticeable. Suffocating. He moves through the aquarium, only looking for someone familiar: a teacher, Iwaizumi, the loud girls in his class. Someone above him yells and it echoes dangerously around the domed ceiling. Oikawa looks up and sees the hanging specimen of a killer whale. 

+

On the rare occasions where Iwaizumi stays behind with Oikawa longer, they practice spikes. Knowing that Iwaizumi is there is somewhat comforting to Oikawa. No matter how much Oikawa screams, Iwaizumi will ground him and tell him to shut up. 

“Oikawa-san, can you teach me how to serve?” 

Oikawa doesn’t quite process Kageyama’s words. His vision blurs and he is too warm and maybe this is sickness. Their graduation is approaching faster than he would like it, and he doesn’t want to let go. Doesn’t want to hand Kitagawa Daiichi down to Kageyama. 

“Oikawa-san?” 

Perfecting his serve is something Oikawa has put countless hours into. All for a few moments of glory on the court, because his sets feel so ordinary now. Ordinary. Is that a word Oikawa wants associated with himself? 

His breathing feels uneven and his chest hurts too much. The sweat on his back cools and chills Oikawa to the bone. Across the net are spots of blue and yellow, where the volleyballs have hit and distorted in his vision. He can’t hear. 

“Go away,” he whispers. “Go away, go away…”

He doesn’t realize what happens until Iwaizumi is in front of him instead of Kageyama, grabbing his arm and yelling. Oikawa stiffens. Ice runs through his veins, digging in his skin. He can’t think. His ears are ringing. His hand is mere centimeters from Kageyama’s face and Kageyama still looks up at him with unsuspecting eyes. Surprise colors his features, but the fundamental admiration is still there. This boy is too much for him.

“...kawa-san?” 

“We’re done for today Kageyama-kun, sorry.” 

“Oh okay.” Kageyama trots away and Oikawa stares at Iwaizumi in fear. He’s afraid. As soon as Kageyama is gone, Iwaizumi starts. Oikawa feels it coming through the tightened grip around his wrist. 

“Calm down, dumbass.” 

Iwaizumi’s grip loosens on his wrist and Oikawa uses this opportunity to raise his other hand. He glares, his hand swinging out and pointing across the court angrily. “How can I calm down?” His voice cracks. “How can I keep my composure? I want to win, I want to beat Shiratorizawa and win nationals!” He yells angrily.

Iwaizumi lets go of Oikawa’s wrist and swaps it for grabbing his shirt up so Oikawa is looking straight into Iwaizumi’s eyes. He can see a vein popping in Iwaizumi’s forehead. Then, pain blooms across Oikawa’s face, warm and almost welcomed, as Iwaizumi headbutts him hard. 

“It’s always ‘I this’ and ‘I that’! Volleyball is a six player sport! None of us could beat Ushiwaka alone!” Iwaizumi screams. “There’s a reason for your teammates, dumbass!” 

Oikawa lays on the ground and mulls it over. Iwaizumi is right; this entire year, his position has been in jeopardy and he lost sight of that. Tunnel vision, he thinks. 

“Did I headbutt you too hard?” Iwaizumi’s voice is softer. Oikawa just laughs and sighs. 

“It makes me feel invincible.”

+

Oikawa wanders the aquarium grounds, now too afraid to look down and too afraid to look up. He can’t even bring himself to go up to the help desk and ask if maybe, just maybe, they could make an announcement. The idea of his teacher not caring, or not noticing that he is gone, crosses his mind and he wraps his arms around his head. Tears sting his eyes and he sits down. His breath speeds up; he’s been walking alone for twenty minutes. Before that, he was sitting for ten, and standing by the otters for who knows how long. Time distorts for Oikawa, for the first time at eight years old, and Oikawa thinks he’ll be lost forever. 

The air is too cold and Oikawa inhales it until his lungs burn. It hurts his throat. He hides in plain sight, trying not to be too loud for the people around him. He feels the vines grow dangerously around him for the first time, rooting him to this one spot. That’s not normal, he thinks and desperately he tries not to cry, because when he cries, it’s ugly and loud. He knows so, snot on his face and tears flooding his eyes, making them red and puffy.

“...wa!” 

“...kawa!”

“Dummykawa!” A hand grabs his arm tightly. It pulls him away, ripping the roots up and making Oikawa feel oddly like he’s flying. Iwaizumi sits Oikawa down on a blue bench, where it’s cooler and darker. 

“What happened?” Iwaizumi asks like he doesn't know, like he didn’t notice. This only scares Oikawa more. 

“I-I I w-was I was l-lo- I wa-” 

“Wait,” Iwaizumi stops him. He gets up and walks away. Oikawa sniffles. He hasn’t completely stopped crying. Iwaizumi returns and it dawns on Oikawa that they are by the bathrooms. Iwaizumi takes a paper towel and hands it to Oikawa. “Wipe your face, dummy.” 

Oikawa obeys, sniffles again, then says, “I-I got lost Iwa-chan! I thought you’d notice!” This brings a fresh wave to Oikawa and Iwaizumi sighs. He plops down next to Oikawa, who is shaking uncontrollably. 

“Calm down, stupid.” Iwaizumi says softly, “I found you now, and the rest of the class is just over there.” He points and Oikawa raises his head. It hurts. Oikawa sees his class, unaware of his mental breakdown, and possibly his absence. “It’s okay,” Iwaizumi says, even though Oikawa doesn’t feel okay. 

+

Second place is always the worst. But Oikawa wagers that being second to Ushiwaka and Shiratoriza is the worst feeling he’s ever felt. More than all the practices, the late nights, all the overshadowing. And he’s used to being second best now, Kageyama is quickly growing as the favorite as graduation nears. When Oikawa leaves for highschool, Kageyama has to be ready, Oikawa knows this. But he doesn’t want to train Kageyama, doesn’t want to leave his throne. Losing to Shiratorizawa, for the third time in a row, is the last nail in his half-built coffin. 

Kageyama is talented. In two years when he graduates, he will be famous.With him, they might beat Shiratorizawa. Oikawa isn’t sure what they’ll say about him. But he’ll be famous, whether it’s for his face or his ability or his… terrible people skills. 

Oikawa finds Ushijima Wakatoshi insufferable. A monster worse than Kageyama, with strong arms are blunt features, Ushijima is the bane of Oikawa’s existence. An unbeatable titan in Oikawa’s eyes and a threat to his team. This year, winning a set against such a strength proves something to Oikawa. That Ushiwaka may be a titan, but he is not unbeatable. That next time, they can beat him.

There is no next time as Oikawa stands on the small podium with his team. He finds himself looking up at Ushijima, a boy he’s fought and rivaled for three years now. Who he will continue to fight. Silver weighs down on Oikawa’s chest like a rock and he turns away, until he’s facing forward at the crowd. Cheers come through and echo around the gym. The small feeling of pride turns acidic, but Oikawa smiles. He smiles at the crowd. Iwaizumi eyes him, but he ignores it as they announce the next part of the ceremony. 

Oikawa walks up again, this time for the “Best Setter” Award. He looks at the ground while he does it, and only raises his head to make quick eye contact with the man handing him the plaque. This is his last middle school tournament. This is how he’ll go, the best setter in all of the prefecture. 

“That’s rare.” 

“What is?” 

“That smile, there’s no ulterior motive.” 

“My smiles are always straightforward and pure!” 

“Coming from you, that’s already impure.”

“Well can you blame me Iwa-chan? …I’m happy.” 

+

They reach the tidepools soon enough. It’s part of the kids area, so the tiles are darker and have small shapes in them, like someone broke and melted colored glass on them. Oikawa refuses to leave Iwaizumi’s side now, still uninterested in all the creatures and interactive stands. He really doesn’t need to touch them. Iwaizumi walks up to one of the winding pools, pulling Oikawa with him. Then, he plunges his arm into the water. Some of it splashes Oikawa and he flinches involuntarily. 

“Look, this starfish is sorta squishy,” Iwaizumi pokes a blob in the water. “C’mon Oikawa,” Iwazumi takes Oikawa’s hand to feel the blob. It _is_ sort of squishy, but Oikawa recoils from the cold salty water. 

Iwaizumi seems happy, touching slimy kelp and squishy sea slugs. Oikawa stays by him, though he’s not touching any of the animals in the pool. Other children crowd the area and Oikawa is scared that if he leaves Iwaizumi, one of them will get lost. 

“Are you having fun?” Iwaizumi’s voice stops his thoughts from spiralling any further. 

“Not really,” Oikawa winces. He wraps his arms around himself. Smaller, he wants to be smaller. 

Iwaizumi seems to take this into consideration, or maybe he’s just thinking. “C’mon then,” he says gruffly, pulling Oikawa towards the small sanitation center. Oikawa squeaks, but stumbles after him. Iwaizumi rubs the disinfectant into his hands and up his arms, Oikawa can’t help but think he scrubs too hard. 

“Your turn.” 

“But I didn’t touch anything.” Oikawa says defiantly. Iwaizumi notices this. 

“Yeah you did,” he pushes foamy soup into Oikawa’s hands. “Just wash your hands.” 

+

Going into highschool, Oikawa is shoved right into the same spot as Kageyama was just a year ago. The current setter is third year, relaxed but decent. Oikawa got so used to competition between positions, he is confused when the third year offers to help him fix his form. He forgot, in the whirlwind of his last year, that form is what helps the most. 

He replaces the setter almost immediately after their first practice match against a team from Tokyo. Being a starter in his first year makes him popular, and coupled with his charming outward nature, he starts getting girls’ attention. 

In his second year, Watari Shinji appears at the doors of Aoba Johsai, along with Yahaba Shigeru and Kyoutani Kentarou. Oikawa subconsciously braces himself for his spotlight to be stolen. Yahaba is a setter and though Iwaizumi says he isn’t a threat, Oikawa sees him as one. 

But Yahaba isn’t Kageyama, and perhaps, really, their only shared trait is their admiration for senpais. Yahaba is more of a people pleaser and agrees, like the rest of the team, that Oikawa should stay the main setter.

Watari Shinji proves himself another decent setter during tryouts. But he introduces himself, proudly, as a libero. Iwaizumi glances at Oikawa but he pretends not to notice. Too busy examining Watari, what kind of boy is he? What kind of player? 

“...What are you?” Oikawa asks, ignoring the looks and laughs he gets from other second years and upperclassmen. 

“A human?” Watari says, confusion clear across his face. 

“No— like position.” 

“I’m a libero,” Watari repeats, confidently. He puffs his chest out a little pridefully and Kyoutani snorts behind him.

Oikawa evaluates the three first years, Kyoutani is clearly a hitter. “Good,” he says, almost challenging them to _try_ and take his position. Though Watari’s first answer suddenly makes him wonder if the boy is _not_ actually human, then they have a bigger, extraterrestrial problem on their hands. 

But with his last senpai gone, Oikawa is glad that Watari can back him up, but won’t steal his position. Even if he is, maybe, an alien.

+

Oikawa wonders why this feeling won’t leave him alone. It follows him like a shadow that tells him to be wary of everything and hold onto Iwaizumi as tightly as possible. When they go into the large amphitheater-like exhibit, it’s dark and Oikawa isn’t afraid of the dark, but this is scary. The only lights come from small ones on the ceiling and the bright blue water in the tank. 

It stretches out like a screen, bigger fish swimming across it. “Look! That’s a sturgeon, and there’s a red snapper, and a shark! Look Oikawa, there's a hammerhead shark!” 

Iwaizumi turns grins at Oikawa and Oikawa can’t help but grin back.

+

Oikawa goes to Kageyama’s last game in middle school. He goes alone, on a Monday. Seijoh has Mondays off, he had a hard time adjusting to it. He wants to see how Kageyama has grown, just what he has to deal with if Kageyama decides to go to Aoba Johsai. 

Kageyama is almost unrecognisable. He still works like a well oiled machine. His face is tighter, Oikawa can see from above, that Kageyama glares more. He can do setter dumps. Oikawa smirks, of course, Kageyama is a prodigy. 

But Oikawa hears the whispers. They call Kageyama the king of volleyball. They call him tyrannical and dangerous, a dictator. Like a bomb, Kageyama could blow up at any moment. Kageyama has grown from the little prince to the lonely king.

Oikawa sees it happen in slow motion. Kageyama’s breaking. He sets fast and hard, too high, and Kindaichi refuses to hit it. He could’ve, but he didn’t. Kageyama yells this, he screams, silencing the crowd until only whispers can be heard. They swarm Oikawa’s brain and he wonders how his last prediction could be so far off. Oikawa doesn’t see the same innocent boy as two years ago, but he doesn’t see the same power hungry king everyone claims Kageyama to be. 

He sees a benched boy, trying not to cry, because he knows he will be replaced. 

In his third year, Kunimi and Kindaichi arrive at Aoba Johsai. Oikawa welcomes them. He looks for Kageyama, because it’d make sense; almost everyone in Kitagawa Daiichi moved onto Aoba Johsai. 

He doesn’t find Kageyama.

+

For lunch, the teacher leads them to the aquarium’s large food court. “Don’t get lost!” she shouts and Oikawa looks up at her with tired eyes. She stops and looks down at him. “Are you okay Oikawa-kun?” 

He starts tearing up again, if that’s even possible with how much he’s cried today. Oikawa shakes his head mutely and tries to find Iwaizumi. He spots him getting a hot dog from a cheap vendor. 

“What’s wrong? Did you forget your purse at the hotel?”

Oikawa shakes his head again, though it’s possible that he actually did forget his money in the hotel room. Oikawa doesn’t remember. He’s just hungry and tired and this isn’t fun anymore.

“Okay. What do you want to eat Oikawa-kun? I can help you get it.” 

Oikawa glances around. He sees Iwaizumi with a tray, sitting down at a table with one of the few chaperones. The sudden need to get there and sit by Iwaizumi hits him. His voice sounds babyish when he responds, “Grilled cheese?” 

+

Oikawa stumbles into the gym, thirty minutes later than he should be. A whistle blows and the harsh squeaking of sneakers tells Oikawa there is a practice game today. What team were they supposed to play today? Oikawa bends down to fix his shoes and when he looks back up, he’s met with Kageyama’s face across the net. 

He hates doctor appointments.

“Yahoo! Long time no see Tobio-chan! How’s your kingdom coming along now?” At some point after watching Kageyama’s last game, Oikawa thought ‘king’ could be a good thing. Because kings can be both powerful and terrifying. He hears Kageyama talk and vaguely hears a teammate whisper “Grand King.” He scoffs.

“Anyways, warm up,” his coach demands, “And be extra thorough, okay?” 

Oikawa sighs and obliges. He hates his knee, his weak body, for doing this to him. _He_ had been the one to request a practice match with Kurasuno, after he heard from Kindaichi that Kageyama went there. And now he’s warming up in the final hour of their game. By the time he’s finished, Kurasuno is at match point and Oikawa is sort of seething

“You could have all the offensive power in the world, but that doesn’t mean anything if you can’t attack.” 

He smirks and tosses the ball, slamming it right onto the tall blond’s arms. Just because he was warming up doesn’t mean that he wasn’t observing. Blondie is Kurasuno’s weakest receiver so Oikawa can score points off of him.

He sees Sugawara Koushi in the back, on the bench. Oikawa smiles, he likes Sugawara. Suga is quick on his feet and somehow reminds Oikawa of a particular mix of animals: a monkey, a cat, and a mink. Suga is a trickster, with sleek fur and bright eyes that shine almost golden under the gym lights. He’s sly and secretive in a way, but still reliable. Suga means danger. 

Oikawa wonders how he handled his replacement. 

They gain two more points, bringing the score to 23-24 by the time Sawamura tells Blondie some advice and he gets the ball up. If Suga was dangerous, Kageyama is lethal. But Oikawa’s seen enough of the gloomy setter to know what to expect. 

…He did _not_ expect that.

Within seconds, the ball is whistling past his ear and hitting the ground. Oikawa stands still and his eyes widen at the boy across the net. His first thought is nothing. His second thought is _bird_. This boy is a bird with bright orange wings amidst a murder of crows. 

The game is over but Oikawa waits for Kurasuno outside the gym. “That’s a captain for you,” he starts saying, smirking at Sawamura, “Knows what he’s talking about.” He stops leaning on the wall to look Sawamura in the eyes. “Let’s go all out from the beginning next time… Your offense is good, but get better at receiving or you’ll reach a barrier. Interhigh Preliminaries are soon, don’t get knocked out.” 

Sawamura’s face settles into a smile and he nods, “Yeah… but next time he’ll be back. Kurasuno’s guardian angel!”

+

The class moves to the outside portion of the aquarium and Oikawa feels a little bit better. The sun is much warmer here than Miyagi and Oikawa squints at Iwaizumi. Iwaizumi is crouched on the floor, peering down a large hole in the ground. 

“Turtles!” A girl from his class squeals. “They’re so cute!”

Oikawa bends down to look. Sure enough, turtles swim across the open hole. “These are juveniles,” Iwaizumi says. Oikawa stands back up with Iwaizumi to see an informational board. Iwaizumi points at the center of a scale. 

“Oh,” Oikawa looks, “So they’re like us.” He giggles as Iwaizumi makes a face, one he loves, that asks ‘what the hell are you talking about?’

“We’re kids, they’re like teenagers.” Iwaizumi states the obvious. Oikawa rolls with it. 

“Oooh, do you think they’ll develop super mutant powers?” 

“Dummykawa, that’s a show.” 

“Yeah,” Oikawa laughs. He grins at Iwaizumi and stretches his arms. “I love turtles!” 

+

In the third round of the Interhigh Preliminaries, Aoba Johsai plays Kurasuno. Oikawa starts strong with a setter dump at the beginning but whatever satisfaction that gives him is taken away as Kageyama copies him in the next rally. Still, Seijoh builds a lead and wins the fist set: fifteen to twenty five. 

The second set is not as easy. Hinata Shouyou flies too much, too fast. He screams too. A screaming orange bird, which is… odd. Oikawa watches, judges, as Hinata shouts. People don’t usually shout when they’re making a shot like that. 

“It’s their trick.”

“Oikawa, what?” Matsukawa huffs, “Maybe the kid just screams a lot.”

“No no no.” Oikawa knows. He didn’t stay up late last night watching Kurasuno games just for fun. If anything, it was the opposite of fun. “Chibi-chan is shouting for a reason, he’s telling Tobio-chan whether or not to set it to him.” Oikawa noticed it yesterday too, Hinata is quick, but if Oikawa is honest, setter signals are probably too complicated for him. Kurasuno wins the second set, but Oikawa puts a lot of pressure on Kageyama. It wasn’t an easy set to win. 

In the third set, they test Oikawa’s theory and block more of Hinata’s spikes. He was right, he knew he was right. It still feels good though, and this time he is part of Kageyama’s breaking and he wonders just how Kurasuno will take it. 

He doesn’t get to find out though, Kurasuno’s coach must be smart, subbing Sugawara now and giving Kageyama time to recover. “Well, if it isn’t Mr. Refreshing?” Oikawa taunts. Suga just grins and waves to him, going to his team. Oikawa watches as he immediately fixes their morale. 

How… annoying. 

Suga is predictable, more so than Kageyama at least. He’s the book definition of a setter. “How does it feel,” Oikawa hisses. The rotation right now has both setters in the front, so Oikawa can look right into Sugawara’s eyes while Hanamaki readies his serve. “To be replaced by Tobio-chan?” 

There’s a flicker of surprise in Suga’s face. Hanamaki serves and it sails right into Daichi’s arms. Suga jumps to set to Kurasuno's ace, Azumane. Predictable. Watari waits on the right side of the court, digging the ball and letting Oikawa set to Kindaichi. Oikawa then sees the ball bounce off Tsukishima’s arms and a few moments later, it lands on his side of the court. 

Sugawara turns to face him again. “I wasn’t replaced by anyone.” 

Sugawara claps Tsukishima’s hand, saying something like “Good job” and “I knew it.” Oikawa glares at the back of his head. Suga is weird. 

Watching Suga must’ve affected Kageyama too, because the crow immediately tries to communicate better. _Tries_. Oikawa almost laughs at the boy’s attempt to say sorry. But Kageyama isn’t exactly a lonely tyrant anymore. 

Aoba Johsai wins, but Oikawa doesn’t feel the satisfaction he expected.

+

At the end of the day, Oikawa watches a dolphin show. He sits in the front row with Iwaizumi and eats jelly candy that their teacher gave them. Oikawa eats them contently, though the plastic he’s sitting on is wet from the splashing. 

“Everyone! Welcome to the Churaumi Museum! Are you guys ready?” a lady stands in front of the tank and waves. People cheer and Oikawa shouts a few excited ‘yes’s. The show starts and Oikawa is immediately entranced by the jumping dolphins. 

“Those are false killer whales,” Iwaizumi whispers. Oikawa looks and there are darker porpoises, like black dolphins, that twirl in the air. The bottlenose dolphins cackle and their bright friendly faces make Oikawa smile.

“Woah,” Oikawa breathes. They jump through hoops and swim on their tails and before Oikawa knows it, it’s over and Oikawa is exhausted. 

It doesn’t occur to him until it’s over, to wonder if the dolphins had any fun performing. 

\+ 

A while after Kuasuno, Aoba Johsai plays against Jozenji. If Oikawa thought Kurasuno was wild and disorganized, Jozenji is worse. Their captain, Terushima, has spiky blond hair with an undercut. Oikawa isn’t sure what Terushima is like. He seems the sort to flirt too much and laugh it off. A crocodile, Oikawa decides. Maybe because of the slicked back appearance he gives off during their handshake? That, and the glint of silver in his mouth and eyes that tell him Terushima is still a threat.

Jozenji as a whole reminds Oikawa of wild dogs, hyper and excitable. What were they called? The party team? Their defence is decent, but they get too frantic for good attacks. They don't think things through. Still Oikawa finds them watching with some jealousy. He envies their happiness, volleyball seems so fun for them. 

They try new things.

Terushima jumps up unexpectedly, probably to mimic Iwaizumi’s most recent spike, but it gets shut down immediately by Matsukawa. He didn’t even get close. Still, Terushima grins at them from across the net. 

“You’ve got a really strong ace y’know?” 

Oikawa scoffs. Of course they do, Iwaizumi is the strongest player on the team and also the only one who can tame the Maddog. Oikawa sets to Iwaizumi again, just to prove it. Iwaizumi grimaces at him, but powers straight through Jozenji’s blockers. Oikawa knew he could do it. 

It doesn’t occur to Oikawa until they’ve won, and Oikawa thinks... 

Maybe volleyball isn’t so fun anymore.

+

They go back inside after the show. Oikawa, feeling better now, leads Iwaizumi and asks about just about every fish he sees. He decides, after seeing the manta rays swim beneath him, that manta rays are his favorite sea animal ever. 

“Iwa-chan! Seahorses!” Oikawa tugs Iwaizumi one way, towards a dark room where the sea jellies and seahorses live, but Iwaizumi doesn’t move. 

“Wait stupid, look over here.” Iwaizumi pulls Oikawa, completely overpowering him. 

“What?” Oikawa asks annoyedly. 

“It’s you.” Iwaizumi points at a fish, deadpan expression. 

“ _What?_ ” Oikawa scrunches up his face. The fish Iwaizumi points to is a pinkish silver and has blue stripes over its side. “Iwa-chan, what are you talking about?” 

Iwaizumi lets go of his hand and walks over a few feet. Oikawa follows him to a screen, where Iwaizumi swipes through different fish. “There.” Iwaizumi stops swiping. 

Zacco platypus. 

The English name reads underneath the bright katakana that reads “Oikawa”. “It’s ugly,” Oikawa declares, staring at the enlarged fish on screen. Iwaizumi snorts. 

“Fine, let’s go see the seahorses then.” 

+

Ushijima shakes Oikawa’s hand shortly after the Jozenji match. Oikawa glowers at him with a look that only six years of competition and losing can muster. Ushijima has only grown taller and stronger in high school. He seems blissfully unaware of Oikawa’s challenge. 

Ushijima Wakatoshi is different from Oikawa’s other rivals. An eagle with wide wings and sharp talons is a better fit for Iwaizumi. Because Oikawa has always fought for his position, but with Ushiwaka, he fights for freedom. 

“Calm down, we can win this time,” Iwaizumi mutters. They disperse and set up on court, waiting for Ushiwaka’s serve. 

They lose. In the final round of the Interhigh Preliminaries, Aoba Johsai is eliminated by Shiratorizawa Academy. After losing so many times to Ushijima, Oikawa thought he’d get used to it. But like an old heartbreak that never fully healed, it aches. The dull pain that awakens something in Oikawa. A snake slithers around his spine, squeezing and hissing into his ear. It tells him to give up and give in, that he is not enough; he has never been enough, no matter how much training he puts into it, he will never be a prodigy like them.

He almost lets the feeling take him again, knowing that sleepless nights and endless practices await him. He bows more out of habit and force, Iwaizumi beside him. He doesn’t cry. His eyes are dry, he was expecting this. Oikawa stares at the ground horrified. 

He expected this.

Oikawa goes home with Iwaizumi, who is rightfully angry and tired. Oikawa is just numb. They put on Godzilla movies instead of match replays and Oikawa stares emptily at the beast on screen. 

He _expected_ to lose.

+

“Why don’t they have Zacco platypus plushies Iwa-chan?” Oikawa trots over to his best friend. The last part of their visit is to go to the shops and buy souvenirs, for themselves or their family. Oikawa holds the rim of a blue stingray bucket hat. 

Iwaizumi holds a small whale shark plush, most of the things are whale shark themed and there are at least five different kinds of whale shark plush. “I dunno, ‘cause they’re boring?” 

“Hey! I am not boring!” 

Iwaizumi smirks, “I thought you didn’t like zacco platypus.” 

“I- I don’t! ...but it’s sorta cute, don’t you think Iwa-chan?” Iwaizumi rolls his eyes. He tosses Oikawa a whale shark and says they can match that way. Oikawa catches it. 

“What’re you getting your sister?” 

“I dunno,” Oikawa looks around the shop and spots the book section. “She likes cute stickers and books. I could get a book, right?” 

Iwaizumi doesn’t answer. Oikawa picks out a book on ducks he thinks might be funny and a two packets of stickers, one for him and one for his sister. 

“One day, I’ll make Zacco platypus the most famous fish!” he announces to Iwaizumi. 

+

Kurasuno makes it through to the quarterfinals of the Spring High Playoffs. Oikawa watches the end of their last game against Wakunan High. Sawamura is missing. Oikawa doesn’t find out what happened until he comes jogging back on court with a visible bruise on his cheek. He doesn’t play for the rest of the match, but Kurasuno wins anyway. 

Kurasuno is their opponent in the semifinals.

One hour later, Oikawa is shaking Sawamura’s hand and Sawamura is telling him about ‘monster camp’. Oikawa has no idea what he’s talking about. 

“We’ll receive first,” Sawamura grins at Oikawa after the coin is flipped. Receiving is Sawamura’s specialty. 

“Well. Then, we serve first.” Oikawa clicks his tongue. Serving is his specialty.

Oikawa regroups with his team and they’re coach explains how they are at an advantage. They’ve played Kurasuno before. 

But this is no walk in the park. 

Oikawa shakes his hands out and walks onto the court. They’re going to win. He sighs and turns to face Iwaizumi and the others behind him. “Alright so, I bel-” 

“We believe in you captain!” 

Oikawa freezes for a second before regaining his composure. He laughs. “What a-”

“We believe in your serves. If you miss, you owe us ramen,” Iwaizumi interrupts him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He is entirely serious. 

“I want extra chashu pork with mine.” Hanamaki snickers.

“I’d like a side of gyoza with mine. And no serves that just get it over.” Matsukawa says. Oikawa stares at them in disbelief. 

“Come on! First years, second years, you can order too!”

The team calls out more ramen orders as Oikawa spins and bounces the ball. He’s starting to think they don’t want him to serve. Throwing the ball up, Oikawa forgets about everything else. 

Daichi slides under the ball, pushing it up, and the game starts. 

It ends with Oikawa reaching, reaching for the ball and hitting it out of line.

Hinata Shouyou, who calls Oikawa the Grand King, runs back to his team. Oikawa looks across the net and sees Kageyama Tobio. Kageyama, who calls Hinata “dumbass” and yells like Iwaizumi. Kageyama, who practices harder than anyone and is afraid of being abandoned like him. 

Just how did this happen? 

As Kurasuno rejoices, Oikawa watches them. Tsukishima still calls Kageyama a king. He tolerates it. At first, when Hinata called Oikawa a “grand king”, he wondered if it was an insult. But then he remembers, a king is both powerful and terrifying. 

Time stops and Oikawa feels like he’s floating. He shakes it off and turns to his team.

“What kind of ramen do you want?!” 

Oikawa ends up not having to pay for any ramen as their coach buys them all ramen afterwards. Oikawa stuffs his face angrily, taking seconds and thirds until Matsukawa tells him to “stop or you’ll be sick tonight” and Hanamaki tells him to “leave some for us, jeez.” 

After they’ve stuffed their faces, they walk back to the gym. The first and second years have departed and Iwaizumi has a permanent scowl on his face. Oikawa is strangely calm about the whole thing. They turn on the lights and wheel out the nets. 

“I thought we were cleaning up,” Sawauchi jokes as he continues to unroll the net. 

Iwaizumi huffs and throws a yellow ball out the closet. Oikawa grabs at it until the seven third years are split into teams and start a game. 

“Shit!” Yuda laughs, “I’m gonna throw up my ramen!” Oikawa slams the ball next to him and someone yells for him to slow down. He doesn’t and he and Iwaizumi bulldoze through, point after point. Anger bleeds out of all of them until Yuda is literally laying on the floor and Hanamaki can’t move anymore. Matsukawa tries to laugh but it ends in a breathless cough. 

Oikawa pants and everyone looks over to him. 

“Don’t say it,” Hanamaki chokes. 

He does anyway. Because there’s nothing after this, it’s the end of high school and they’re all going to move onto bigger things and Oikawa knows it. Volleyball was just a high school sport for most of them, a hobby. But for him, it’s everything. 

“Thank you for the last three years!”

There’s crying and cleaning and hugging and maybe a little platonic kissing before they disperse and Iwaizumi closes the gym doors. He catches up to Oikawa and they walk home together. Night air stings their faces. The streetlights light their path home. 

They stop under one and for a second, Oikawa looks at Iwaizumi. Studies Iwaizumi. His face is angry, like the statue you carved of your mother for Christmas, as a joke, only to find as she opens it, she doesn’t find it funny at all. Oikawa finds it funny. He laughs and Iwaizumi’s wrinkles only increase. His eyes are hazel and remind Oikawa of the forest floor. 

“I’ll beat you one day,” Iwaizumi grits out. He pushes his fist forward. Oikawa smiles charmingly, it’s a real one this time. He raises his arm up to meet Iwaizumi's fist and bumps it lightly. 

“I’ll be waiting for it.”

+

The summer of Oikawa’s ninth birthday, his mother gets him two tickets to the Kamei Stadium. For an international tournament. _International._ It’s definitely the biggest thing Oikawa has ever been to. With two tickets, he invites Iwaizumi and his mother gets in with her own ticket. She must’ve known Oikawa would bring Iwaizumi. 

They buy special fancy autograph papers and bring their cheering balloon sticks. Oikawa wants to watch all the games. 

Every. Single. One. 

He doesn’t care if Japan is in it or not. He wants to see all the players, all the setters. He doesn’t care what team they’re on, they made it internationally; they must be good. Iwaizumi isn’t like him though, he wants to watch and cheer only for Japan. They meet in the middle at the Japan and Argentina match. 

“C’mon Iwa-chan, hurry up!” 

“Don’t run Oikawa!”

“I’m not running! Just speed-walking!” Still, Oikawa slows a little. They’re both power walking, comically swinging their balloons at their sides. The game has already started when they enter the arena. Oikawa pushes past people until he gets to the very front, where he can see both the real game and the TV clearly. 

The Argentine ace is young for the league. He’s bright and gained attention in the first half, but now the commentators criticize his technique as it gets sloppier. There’s a whistle and a called timeout. Oikawa thinks they’ll switch the ace for another spiker. 

Instead, Argentina switches their setter to José Blanco, 38 years-old. 

+

After the match with Kurasuno, time seems to fly and everything winds down. At some point Kageyama asks Oikawa for help. Oikawa doesn’t mind so much anymore. He watches the game between Ushiwaka and Kageyama with Iwaizumi, the way he always does. He tells Iwaizumi he won’t be happy no matter who wins because he knows it’s true. But secretly, he hopes that Kurasuno will win; because victory is a new taste in their mouths and Ushijima has won too many times already. 

The same thing happens with Inarizaki. The Miya twins are insanely good and Inarizaki is a known name among high school fans. Oikawa watches Kageyama elevate Tanaka, their second ace, on his phone screen during a morning run. He smirks as the camera zooms in, as if they knew it would happen. Oikawa is proud.

“I wanna travel overseas.” Oikawa announces to his team, one week before their graduation. Iwaizumi snorts. He knew this months before, when Oikawa started packing and talking to the one and only José Blanco while the man was in Japan. He wouldn’t shut up about it. Everyone seems pretty shocked though, only because Oikawa is good at keeping secrets. From everyone but Iwaizumi. 

“Really?” Yahaba asks. 

“Of course!” Oikawa answers cheerily. 

“Where are you going?” Kunimi asks at the same time as Kyoutani says, “Why?” 

“Argentina! Their volleyball league is good.” Oikawa smiles, “And if I go there, I don’t have to go against monsters like Ushiwaka or Kageyama.” 

+

José Blanco walks in and his starting serve is simple. Oikawa watches the new setter with renewed interest. What kind of player is he? His sets are clearly polished and Oikawa wants that someday. He wears the number thirteen on his back.

+

Oikawa doesn’t really like airports. They’re loud and busy and everything is always just a little too expensive. They have nice shops though, with complicated souvenirs and toys tourists can take home when they’re done with their trip to Japan. 

But Oikawa is leaving the country. Not permanently, but enough for him to consider giving up his Japanese citizenship, since Japan doesn’t allow dual citizenships. Oikawa goes to the airport with Iwaizumi, who is going to America. He’s studying sports training and medicine and wants to get into a university in California. They’ll be taking different planes, but Oikawa is glad Iwaizumi is there.

Oikawa grabs another peach juice before heading to his gate, precisely five minutes before his plane starts boarding. He enters the plane, looking for his seat. His ticket tells him it’s in aisle 23, seat D. Right in the middle. Great. 

Oikawa pushes past the man already setting up his luggage in the overhead and sits. He kicks his bag under the seat in front of him and tries to get comfortable. To his right is a woman holding a romance novel, judging by the cover, and probably going back to Argentina by the looks of it. To his left is the man, in a casual suit, and also balding, Oikawa notices. 

There are a few moments of shared silence before the overhead intercom crackles to life and the screen in front of him wakes up. They show safety videos; how to put on oxygen masks and inflate life vests. The voice above them cycles through English, Japanese, and finally Spanish after every statement. The video just has three rows of subtitles. 

Oikawa doesn’t pay attention as they speak, zoning out. He hasn’t been on many airplanes, maybe only one or two other times for class trips. This is different though, he’s an adult now and there’s no chaperone to watch him. It’s a long flight, 23 hours or so, and all Oikawa can hope is that he won’t have to pee.

+

José Blanco is a veteran, the commentators say. Oikawa watches as the man steps on court, he doesn’t wave or make a show of his entrance. Just walks in, fixes up their ace and walks out. The cheers from Argentina boom as their young ace scores point after point until he’s scored the most. 

To them, the ace is their hero. To Oikawa, José Blanco is the hero. 

+

When Oikawa gets to Argentina, he tries out his Spanish skills. He’s never actually tried it out loud before, other than copying the woman’s voice during his language lessons. It turns out, he sucks. 

He gets to a hotel for the first week, then finds a gym and an apartment. The morning after he settles in, his neighbor visits him, kindly giving him pie as a welcome gift. She’s an old lady named Sofia, who doesn’t speak much English. That’s okay though, she is friendly and kind. Oikawa helps her carry groceries up the stairs and she finds an interest in his Japanese food and manga. He tries his best to translate parts of One Piece and Naruto. 

Around half a year later, Oikawa finds himself on a plateau. He isn’t getting any better and he forgets to call Iwaizumi sometimes because he’s been so consumed by this. Hunger. He wants to get into the national team. He wants to be the best setter he can. He wants to _win._

He wants so much it hurts. Vines find their ways up paths they haven’t been before, and the snake whispers that he should go home. Give up and go back to Japan. So he forgets that he has Japanese dinner with his neighbor tonight as he falls to the floor and cries. 

He doesn’t hear the knock or the click of the lock as the door opens. He’s too busy sobbing and lamenting his failures. Then, a body is beside him and rubbing his back. 

“Why are you crying?” she asks, in English. 

Oikawa speaks fast, in Japanese, telling Sofia how he’s failed and his float serve isn’t _anything_ like Miya Atsumu’s and his receives feel too weak again. She doesn’t say anything, just gets up and comes back with a cup of tea. She listens and when he stops crying so much, she cooks instant ramen. 

While Oikawa slurps hot noodles, she sits back, watching and sipping tea. Then, while he has noodles hanging out his mouth, she speaks.

“You come here for new beginnings. So begin new.” 

And so Oikawa becomes a nobody. In Argentina, he has no major title; he isn’t the Grand King or the best setter in all of the prefecture. He is no one and that’s okay for now. 

+

Oikawa Tooru is nine when he finds his star. José Blanco. He is nine when he gets his moment and it is solidified that he wants to play just like José. He wants to be the stable formation for his future teams. He wants to play volleyball forever. 

+

Maybe Oikawa hasn’t talked to Iwaizumi as much as he should’ve. He glares down at his phone screen, the image of Iwaizumi and Ushijima Wakatoshi blown up to full size. It’s a terrible picture, really, their faces are too dark and Iwaizumi isn’t looking at the camera and Ushijima clearly never learned how to smile. 

Oikawa presses call without a second thought. It rings three times before Iwaizumi picks up. 

“You look stupid,” Oikawa deadpans. He hangs up. 

Oikawa’s room in Argentina is nicer than his room in Miyagi. In Miyagi, his room was bare necessities and one volleyball poster plastered to the wall. 

Here, his room is fuller, warmer with gifts from Sofia and trinkets from Japan. The whale shark from third grade sits on his nightstand, smiling. Small statues of aliens in funky poses create a scene across his wardrobe. His bed is Western style and his desk has llama pens from Sofia and a Godzilla plush from Iwaizumi. Posters of volleyball players are up on the wall and a poster of his old high school team, with signatures and notes, is hung in the center. A maneki-neko smiles at him, from Kunimi and Kindaichi. A shirt that says “Oikawa” in katakana, from Yahaba, Watari, and Kyoutani, sits in his closet. (They don’t know how much it means to him.)

He’s a bit happier here.

+

“Mr. Blanco! Can I have your autograph?” Oikawa yells from the sidelines after the game. Argentina won, thanks to the new ace. José Blanco walks over and Oikawa hisses at Iwaizumi to hand over the fancy paper. 

“I already got Handa’s autograph on it,” Iwaizumi states. Oikawa groans and works around his stuff to find a used paper. 

“Isn’t that the one you used already?” Iwaizumi asks as José Blanco starts to write his name on the board. 

“Shush!” Oikawa whispers. He doesn’t think José can understand their Japanese anyways. “It’s brand new outta the package! It isn’t dirty at all!” 

+

“Gr- Oikawa-san! what’re you doing here?!” 

“That’s my line,” Oikawa’s forehead creases as he looks at Hinata Shouyou in Rio. Oikawa made it onto the CA San Juan team two years ago, at age 19. He is currently their main setter. 

Hinata Shouyou is somehow brighter than Oikawa remembers him. His skin is darker, warm amber and Oikawa can see Rio treats him well. 

“I’m practicing beach volleyball!” 

Oikawa laughs. It’s a small world, isn’t it? Iwaizumi meeting Ushijima, him meeting Hinata. “Man, you’re a scary kid sometimes shrimp.” Oikawa sighs at Hinata’s face. He introduces Hinata to his teammates, after they ask, as a middle schooler in his neighborhood. ...Which is entirely untrue, but what’s Hinata going to do about it? 

“Why’re you here though, Oikawa?” 

“I’m playing in the Argentine national league right now.” Oikawa tells Hinata. Hinata says he thinks Oikawa would fit in Italy better. Oikawa laughs, “I know right? I’d totally fit there… never been though!” Then he says he’ll take Hinata to dinner and Hinata almost _cries_. 

Hinata says he lost his wallet.

At the restaurant, Hinata asks, “Have you seen any of Tobio’s games recently?” Oikawa averts his eyes and says, “ _Nope._ ” Like a liar does. Maybe Hinata sees through this, maybe he doesn’t, but he ignores it nonetheless and moves onto: 

“Why Argentina?” 

This launches Oikawa into a story about the amazing José Blanco and how his autograph got washed with his pants and José definitely helped him in volleyball. They talk about that for a while until Hinata says, “Let’s play volleyball together!”

And so they do. But not regular volleyball. They play on the beach, where the sand is still warm at night and shifts under his feet like a traitor. Oikawa falls to his knees. 

“This is a totally different sport!” he cries indignantly 

Hinata laughs, then he sighs, “Y’know today… for one second, just one second, I was really depressed but… After meeting you, I feel way, way, way better!!” 

Oikawa gets up and brushes the sand off his knees, “Then treat me to dinner next time.”

“Hey! Jackie Chan!” Oikawa looks to see two men waving them over. “Wanna play?” 

“Did he just say Jackie Chan?” Oikawa questions, “Does he think I’m Chinese?” Hinata snickers and agrees with the strangers for a match. 

“...Not Jackie Chan,” Oikawa tells them, “Watanabe Ken!” 

Oikawa falls way too much during their first game against the Buy-Me-Beer Brothers. The wind _clearly_ can’t read the atmosphere or that he’s about to serve. The sand slows him down. So they lose and buy beer for the brothers. Afterwards, Hinata badgers Oikawa for contact information and Oikawa gives it. 

The next night, they play the Buy-Me-Beer Brothers again, and Oikawa gets a better grip of the beach. He can’t be so fast or wild and he has to be stronger to go farther. He unleashes a jump floater and gets his toss right. This is good. 

This is fun. 

Sometimes Oikawa forgets volleyball is supposed to be fun. In order to level up, Oikawa has to work harder and make things more difficult, ultimately causing pain. But sometimes, something comes along and Oikawa remembers the basics of volleyball is to connect. He remembers.

This is fun. 

They take a selfie after they win, wild with their tongues sticking out and all. Oikawa knows Kageyama will see it through Hinata and surely Hinata will send it. 

Oikawa hits send to Iwaizumi.

+

“I- I wanna be a setter too!” Oikawa grins up José Blanco. A new idol.

José looks over, startled by the sudden declaration. He seems to cough before smiling and saying, “Good luck!”

+

In 2021, Oikawa flies back to Tokyo, Japan for the Olympics. He’s famous amongst both the Argentine fans and the Japanese. The commentators say he was basically unknown in high school, which isn’t wrong, because he’s never been to nationals; but this is a whole different stage. 

Oikawa leads in front, a bright blue thirteen across his chest. He raises his hand and he remembers high school. High pitched squealing from his fangirls are covered by the wild roar for him as a whole. Japan is just as proud, if not prouder, of him as Argentina is. After all, he is their own blood. 

Oikawa turns his gaze away from the crowd to look across the court. He sees Hinata and smiles. Because Hinata is no ordinary orange bird, he is a phoenix, illuminated by the ceiling lights, and carrying the sun across his wings. 

Oikawa finds Kageyama and laughs. Because Kageyama is no lonely king or brutal tyrant. He is just a boy, with an endless love for volleyball. He will not be a prince tonight, because Oikawa will rule the court and crush him under his iron fist. 

Oikawa sees Ushijima watching him from the back and glares. Because Ushijima has been the undefeated too many times for Oikawa to forget. A giant among monsters, basic but powerful. So today, he should be defeated. 

And finally, when Oikawa turns to the bench across the court, he sees Iwaizumi with a malicious smile and he smiles his most charming smile. Because Iwaizumi is always there. A stone in the sand, unmoving and obstinate. Not a monster, but a friend. 

“How’ve you been, Shittykawa?” 

“Never been better.”

And the monsters’ feast begins

**Author's Note:**

> okkk so basically no starting note means real friccing long end note :D
> 
> 1\. i spent like 2-3 months? on this and i’m tired so like, if there’s any spelling/format mistakes (grammar mistakes are my fault still idk) and if it’s not like continuous/cohesive welp  
> 2\. so character descriptions came to me while sleeping or in the shower so idk if they make sense!  
> 3\. i’ve actually been to okinawa and the aquarium, and the tour guide is basically the one we had, only she spoke chinese with us lol  
> 4\. wowowow not tsukkiyama!!!  
> 5\. ...i think that’s all for now? oikawa is also pale chub/zacco platypus yupyup oikawa is a fishy  
> 6\. i mayyyy make a series of character study on setters but probablyyyyy notttt
> 
> aight that’s all!! kudos and comments appreciated:D


End file.
